Kyle Orton needs legitimate contender at quarterback

But Kyle Boller, or a quarterback like him, that should not be a dream.

Perhaps you have heard the adage "Competition is the whetstone of talent."

Hope the Bears have, too, because for Kyle Orton to be the best he can be, and for the team to be all it can be, he should have competition.

A couple of years ago the Bears named Mark Anderson a starting defensive end in the dead of the off-season, replacing Alex Brown without competition. The result was a poor season from Anderson and a pretty good one from Brown.

It didn't work out any better when they traded Thomas Jones to clear the path for Cedric Benson.

Football players need not be coddled like significant others on Hallmark holidays. At least not football players I would want on my team.

Show me a player who reacts like a distressed turtle when he is asked to fight for his job and I will show you a player who will react like a distressed turtle when the season is on the line.

Competition is an outstanding way to prepare for a season, like watching tape, lifting weights and eating right. Really, it is the essence of sport.

Some of the most successful quarterbacks in the NFL last season were forced to compete for their jobs in training camp. Kurt Warner did it, beating out Matt Leinart. So did rookies Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco.

The Bears don't necessarily have to bring in a player they expect to be matched evenly with Orton. But it sure would be nice to have a veteran they know they can count on in case Orton is either unavailable or ineffective.

The chances are good the Bears will start more than one quarterback this year. They have started more than one in 35 of the 42 seasons since the NFL merged in 1967.

Nobody knows what Caleb Hanie and Brett Basanez are capable of because between them they have thrown 11 NFL passes. You can't convince yourself they are anything except unknowns.

Each is a fit for the third, or developmental quarterback role. Neither is a fit for the primary backup.

If Cutler is available, the Bears would have to explore the possibility of acquiring him. Most teams in the NFL would. But the signals out of Denver right now are Cutler is not on the market. Because the Broncos no longer can trade for Matt Cassel, they probably will be very reluctant to part with Cutler, as they should be.

Even if Cutler forces the Broncos' hand, the Bears probably do not have what the Broncos would demand in compensation to make him a possibility.

So let's go back to the real world. The Bears owe it to the organization to continue their development of Orton unless they can acquire a player they are certain is better for reasonable compensation.

I like Orton. I have since he was at Purdue. I think he will be very good very soon. But he has not earned the right to not have to compete. We aren't talking about Peyton Manning here.

But there is nothing wrong with pursuing someone like free agent Jeff Garcia. Orton is not the type of player who needs to be pushed to work hard, but having an able competitor on his heels certainly shouldn't hurt.

Orton told the Tribune's Fred Mitchell he believes he can get a better feel for wide receivers if he gets more than half the reps through the off-season and training camp. Last year Orton and Rex Grossman split practice time as the Bears tried to determine who should start.

How many off-season reps with the starters do you suppose Cassel had last year in New England? Not many. And his numbers were better than Orton's across the board.

The Bears could benefit from waiting until after the draft. It's not like there is any quarterback out there now who is a must have. And waiting would enable Hanie and Basanez to get the off-season reps that would aid their development. Veterans still will be available late.

The best thing for the Bears organization, and the best thing for Orton, is for the team to acquire a player at some point who can be a threat at some level to their starting quarterback.

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dpompei@tribune.com

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